Interpretive Summary: With the recent reports of a yield plateau in cotton production, a very promising research strategy for understanding the basis of lint percent (an important component of yield) is currently underway. The strategy involves the elucidation of molecular and cellular biology of two naturally occurring mutations which exist in cotton. These mutations are referred to oas the naked seed alleles and are characterized by the elimination of fuzz fiber and a reduction of lint percent. Line MD 17fls is a fiberless line and was developed to assist in the determination of the genetics of lint percent. This line will also be important in the molecular proofs which focus on determining important genes involved in increasing lint on cottonseeds. MD 17fls has many advantages over other fiberless lines of cotton, in that its geneology is known and the parents can be easily obtained.

Technical Abstract:
A completely fiberless (fls) upland cotton line was produced from a cross between two accessions of the Mississippi Obsolete Variety Collection. These accessions are line 243 which expresses the dominant naked seed allele (N1N1) and line 143 which expresses the recessive naked seed allele (n2n2). The line was designated MD 17fls and advanced through the F5 generation. MD 17fls was uniform in plant height, flowering and bowl opening. Both N1N1 and n2n2 affect lint percent, an important yield component. MD 17fls is currently being used in a genetic proof to identify multiple alleles and genes which influence lint percent. MD 17fls has multiple advantages over other fls lines. The major advantages are that the genotype is known and the parental lines are easy to obtain from the national collection of Gossypium germplasm. These advantages make MD 17fls more compatible with the genomic and proteomic research of the future.